After Second World War, the entire world was
completely changed. Almost all the nations felt the need of global
integration for the prosperity of human beings. The result of this
thought came out in the form of United Nations and a new era of global
cooperation began.

On September 18, 2000, 189 countries signed a
declaration known as Millennium Declaration to fight against global
poverty and to support worldwide development. The Millennium Development
Goal (MDG) is a global agenda came from this millennium declaration. The
MDG provides guideline and framework to cope with basic mankind problems
and to enhance living standards worldwide. The MDG contains eight basic
goals to be achieved by the year 2015.

In this article, I will discuss the implementation of
global agenda, its pros and cons and the chances of meeting these goals,
specifically from Pakistan's point of view. The recent global monitoring
report, issued by the World Bank, reveals detailed facts in this regard.
The abstract of the report says that there are combined responses over
MDG, some countries (especially South Asian countries) are taking it
very seriously while few (Sub Saharan African) countries are not
consistent with MDG and hence, are not likely to achieve these goals.
The South Asian countries focusing very keenly on "poverty
reduction strategies" are continuously reviewing the outcome of
poverty reduction policies which make it possible for them to achieve
targets set by MDG.

To increase the momentum of development and achieving
MDGs, global monitoring report has presented five points agenda:

Anchor efforts to achieve the MDGs in country-led
development strategies

Every country should focus on MDG and sets short-term
and medium-term targets in its fiscal framework and should start a
poverty reduction program.

Countries should focus on private sector
encouragement policies by removing unnecessary regulatory constraints.
Governments should try to take corruption rate to minimum level.

SCALE UP HUMAN DEVELOPMENT SERVICES

Governments should increase the public sector
development spending. It should be governments' priority to gradually
increase number of doctors, teachers and other social services
providers. The infrastructure should be developed and more hospitals,
schools and technical schools should be built. A service delivery chain
should be maintained to ensure that money produces results.

DISMANTLE BARRIERS TO TRADE

Augment assistance to poor countries to address
behind-the-border constraints to their trade capacity, including through
investments in critical trade-related infrastructure.

SUBSTANTIALLY INCREASE THE LEVEL AND EFFECTIVENESS OF
AID

The developed countries have to double the official
development assistance over the next 5 years to support MDGs, especially
in Sub Saharan African countries. Reach closure in 2005 on current
proposals for additional debt relief. Any additional debt relief should
not cut into the provision of needed new financing, nor undermine the
financial viability of international financial institutions.

THE GOALS

GOAL 1:
Eradicate extreme poverty and hunger

TARGET 1:

Halve, between 1990 and 2015, the proportion of people whose income is
less than $1 a day

TARGET 2:

Halve, between 1990 and 2015, the proportion of people who suffer from
hunger

GOAL 2:

Achieve
universal primary education

TARGET 3:

Ensure that by 2015, children everywhere, boys and girls alike, will be
able to complete a full course of primary schooling

GOAL 3:

Promote
gender equality and empower women

TARGET 4:

Eliminate gender disparity in primary and secondary education,
preferably by 2005, and at all levels of education no later than 2015

GOAL 4:

Reduce
child mortality

TARGET 5:

Reduce by two-thirds, between 1990 and 2015, the under-five mortality
rate

GOAL 5:

Improve maternal health

TARGET 6:

Reduce by three-quarters, between 1990 and 2015, the maternal mortality
ratio

GOAL 6:

Combat
HIV/AIDS, malaria, and other diseases

TARGET 7:

Have
halted by 2015 and begun to reverse the spread of HIV/AIDS

TARGET 8:

Have
halted by 2015 and begun to reverse the incidence of malaria and other
major diseases

GOAL 7:

Ensure
environmental sustainability

TARGET 9:

Integrate
the principles of sustainable development into country policies and
programs and reverse the loss of environmental resources

TARGET 10:

Halve
by 2015 the proportion of people without sustainable access to safe
drinking water and basic sanitation

TARGET 11:

Have achieved a significant improvement by 2020 in the lives of at least
100 million slum dwellers

GOAL 8:

Develop a global partnership for development

TARGET 12:

Develop further an open, rule-based, predictable, nondiscriminatory
trading and financial system (including a commitment to good governance,
development, and poverty reduction, nationally and internationally)

TARGET 13:

Address the special needs of the least developed countries (including
tariff- and quota-free access for exports of the least developed
countries; enhanced debt relief for heavily indebted poor countries and
cancellation of official bilateral debt; and more generous official
development assistance for countries committed to reducing poverty)

TARGET 14:

Address the special needs of landlocked countries and small island
developing states (through the Programme of Action for the Sustainable
Development of Small Island Developing States and the outcome of the
22nd special session of the General Assembly)

TARGET 15:

Deal comprehensively with the debt problems of developing countries
through national and international measures to make debt sustainable in
the long term

TARGET 16:

In
cooperation with developing countries, develop and implement strategies
for decent and productive work for youth